When Hernandez was a child, his midnight birthday parties went sadly unattended.

“All the kids are asleep by now,“ his parents used to say, when they saw his disappointed expression.

But little Hernandez knew better. He had no friends. Sure, some other kids talked to him at school, but whenever he turned his back, they laughed at his fangs and weird clothes.

They weren’t real friends, because real friends would stay up late for his birthday party and watch him blow out the candles at midnight and eat cake until their bellies were full and then they would all fall asleep together at dawn.

Hernandez longed for a true friendship. For a soul mate. For somebody, who would laugh with him and not at him.

But whenever he looked into the mirror and saw his weird pointed teeth and pale skin, the thought of a friendship sounded crazy.

“Who would be friends with a monster like me?” he always thought.

For years, the world he lived in made him feel he was right.

Until one day, Hernandez stumbled upon the Monster City, where everyone was equal, even though they were nothing alike. The monsters were equal in their uniqueness.

Hernandez was welcomed right away and for the very first time in his life, he wasn’t alone when blowing out the candles on his birthday cake at midnight.

(I loved Hermit the Crab's illustration and I just had to make Hernandez feel better :))